Skin conditions or skin disorders include a variety of different afflictions, including eczema, burns, rashes, irritations, decubitus ulcers, diabetes induced skin lesions where there is inflammation, skin cell disruption, dead cells and secondary skin infection due to the presence of inflammatory cells and inflammatory substances. Skin conditions or skin disorders can also vary greatly in symptoms and severity. Skin conditions can be temporary or permanent and may be painless or painful. Some skin conditions have situational causes, such as the presence of an inflammatory substance, while others may be genetic, such as eczema. Some skin conditions can be minor, such as first-degree burns, while others can be life-threatening, such as a staph infection in the dermis. The aforementioned skin conditions can lead to poor tissue perfusion, improper delivery of nutrients to the damaged cells, lack of nutrients for the formation of collagen, improper melanocyte growth and poor delivery of anti-inflammatory substances to the damaged tissue.
A common treatment for said skin conditions include the use of anti-inflammatory painkillers, which can be consumed orally in the form of tablets, liquids or capsules, injected via needle, or applied to skin in the form of a topical gel or cream. The mechanisms of action for said anti-inflammatories is varied. When applied to skin in the form of a topical preparation, the anti-inflammatory painkillers may be referred to as topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or just topical anti-inflammatories as a generic term.
But while topical steroids have important benefit in reducing inflammation, they also have significant side effects. Side effects consist of: 1) skin atrophy, which causes thinning of the epidermis and changes in the connective tissue of the dermis, wrinkled skin, hypopigmentation and prominence of underlying veins, 2) alteration in immune function, which can inhibit the skin's ability to fight off bacterial or fungal infections, 3) tachyphylaxis, i.e., the tolerance the skin develops to the vaso-constrictive action of topical steroids, 4) steroid rosacea, comprising redness and pustules commonly observed in fair skinned people, 5) topical steroid allergy, 6) stretch marks in areas where skin touches skin such as the groin and armpits, most of which are itchy, permanent and irreversible, 7) immune-suppression, which is caused when topical steroids are used to treat skin infections of fungal origin, causing the user to get a rash that gets redder, itchier and spreads more extensively than a typical fungal infection. For these reasons, the use of topical steroidal creams should be used with caution.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for a more efficient way of providing wound healing and anti-inflammatory compositions for treating skin conditions while reducing side effects.